Ming Dynasty: pacifying the rebellion and defending the border, dominating the world

Chapter 231 The enemy is at the gates, a high-stakes gamble?
After Emei, Qingcheng Sect was the first to be affected.

Originally, the Qingcheng Sect had been purged by the secret guards because of Yu Canghai.

Several Grandmasters and experts at the Finger Profound Realm were lost.

With the Tian Ce army's invasion of Sichuan, the Qingcheng faction was directly targeted.

Not to mention that none of them held positions in the secret guard.

The news that Zhu Wushi was secretly training the Thirty-Six Heavenly Generals and Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends in Qingcheng Mountain had already been internally announced before this Xuanjia Secret Guard operation.

The sect leader, Master Songmu, is known as Han Yinqiao, one of the Five Elders of Sichuan.

A Grandmaster of Celestial Phenomena and a Peak Pointing Profound Realm expert were both captured and had their collarbones locked. Along with many elders and disciples from the sect, they were all imprisoned.

They await Zhu Jinzhen's secret guards or the provincial inspector, or perhaps the Ministry of Justice's reckoning someday.

It can be said that the Qingcheng Sect of the Ming Dynasty was dead in name only from that moment on.

……

Outside Chengdu Prefecture.

"Shut up!"

Xu Changhai reined in his warhorse, his gaze fixed on the city not far away, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes. "The defeated troops from all five garrisons and eight outposts of Sichuan have gathered here, preparing for a final desperate stand?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Jianqiu carefully examined the city walls of Chengdu.

The banners of the Ming Dynasty and those of the garrisons under the Sichuan Provincial Military Commission fluttered in the wind, and every face showed undisguised panic.

"Commander Xu, the Heavenly Strategy is swift as the wind, sweeping across Sichuan."

"Winning battle after battle, invincible."

“Their morale has long since collapsed, and they probably don’t want to fight to the death.” Zhu Jianqiu offered a different opinion. He put himself in their shoes and thought that if they were facing an invincible army like the Tian Ce Mansion, they would have been defeated seven times in seven battles, and all of them were major defeats.

I'm afraid the garrison troops in various garrisons in Sichuan wouldn't even have the courage to fight them on the battlefield again.

The fact that they can still stand atop the city wall and put on airs is probably the limit.

Upon hearing this, Xu Changhai laughed loudly: "If it is as you say, that would be the best. Subduing the enemy without fighting is the highest form of warfare. If we can avoid war, I do not want to rashly resort to arms."

Strength is the only truth.

Strength is the greatest fundamental guarantee of peace.

The spears of Tian Ce Mansion and the swords and shields of Cang Yun are not only for defending against foreign invasions, but also for measuring the vastness of the world.

Xu Changhai, Zhu Jianqiu, Li Chongwu, the commander of the Shaanxi Left Guard, and everyone from Tian Ce and the various guards of Shaanxi agreed with Zhu Jinzhen's words.

Wherever Tian Ce's troops point, they are invincible.

Whether it's Longdu Division or Songpan Guard.

Whether the enemy charged head-on, unleashed a barrage of arrows, or defended from a strategic position, they were still routed in a single battle against the iron hooves of Tian Ce, having no ability to resist or delay.

But that's not what they're most proud of.

What Xu Changhai was most proud of was that, faced with absolute superiority and absolute power, even in a battle between two armies, they were able to precisely control the number of casualties. After several battles, the number of soldiers who died in the five guards and eight garrisons of Sichuan was very small.

As for Tian Ce?

Apart from a few unlucky ones who were kicked by warhorses and left covered in dust, not a single one died in battle.

It can absolutely be called the greatest miracle in history.

"Send someone to knock on the door."

"Yes!" Zhu Jianqiu nodded and gave a wink to one of the Tian Ce soldiers.

"Jianqiu, do you think Commander Ye will open the city gates to welcome the royal army into the city, or will he resist to the bitter end?" Xu Changhai asked Zhu Jianqiu with a thought in his mind.

Zhu Jianqiu's expression was hesitant: "If he's not stupid, he should know that this mere city wall can't stop Tian Ce's spear. But as the commander of Sichuan, it won't be easy to get him to surrender willingly."

Actually, it's not impossible to get Commander Ye to surrender voluntarily.

If Xu Changhai sends someone to make private contact and promises certain benefits, the other side will most likely surrender and the battle will be averted. Alternatively, their prince could control the capital region and ascend the throne.

That day, the army was the rightful royal army, and the commander, along with the other two departments in Sichuan and the garrison troops in various prefectures and cities, dared not obstruct it anymore.

But none of these are possible.

Tian Ce held an absolute advantage and was invincible; no one was qualified to negotiate with them.

The latter, Zhu Jinzhen's Cangyun Iron Cavalry, had not yet arrived in the capital. Even though the whole Ming Dynasty knew it was only a matter of time, as long as he did not officially ascend the throne, Zhu Jinzhen would only be a prince, not the Son of Heaven, the supreme ruler.

The Sichuan military commander preferred defeat and capture to being branded as someone who surrendered without a fight, largely for this reason.

……

Chengdu Prefecture, the prefectural government office!

All the high-ranking officials of the Sichuan Three Offices, including those from Chengdu Prefecture, as well as all the powerful local figures in the surrounding areas, and many martial arts masters who were not targeted or deterred by the secret guards, all gathered here.

"Report!"

"At the city gate, Tian Ce challenged the commander to surrender and open the city gates."

"they said……"

"What did you say?" a lieutenant general asked.

"They said they'd only give Lord Ye and the other officials the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to consider things. If that time passes, even by just a breath, they'll launch a full-scale attack and refuse to surrender." The soldier reporting this trembled, almost bursting into tears.

We will never accept their surrender.

Anyone with even a slight understanding of war would automatically assume that Xu Changhai's words meant that if the city didn't surrender within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, their surrender would not be accepted and the city would be massacred.

Although he was just a messenger, he was still a member of the Chengdu Prefecture in Sichuan.

If Tian Ce really chooses to massacre the city, he has no chance of survival. How could he not panic?
Ye Huai and the others sighed with melancholy.

Xu Changhai's words were Tian Ce's final ultimatum.

But this stumped everyone present.

No matter what, today's Tian Ce only represents the power of a local king or noble, while the Sichuan Military Commander and others in the list, each holding an important position, represent the Ming Dynasty and its face.

The word "surrender".

No one could bring themselves to say it.

Everyone is waiting for the person to take the blame.

Chen Yu, the prefect of Chengdu, sighed helplessly, took off his official hat, and asked first, "The Tian Ce Prefecture has already besieged the city. We don't have much time left. Tell me, what should we do?"

"Open the city gates, or..."

The Right Vice Minister of the Sichuan Provincial Administration Commission frowned and said, "What else can we do if we don't open it?"

"Not opening?" Many people exclaimed in surprise.

The Tian Ce army is at the city gates, but they won't open the gates. Does that mean they're really going to fight the Tian Ce to the death?

"Although Tian Ce Mansion is invincible and difficult to resist, according to the scouts' reconnaissance, in the previous battles, Tian Ce defeated two divisions and three guards in succession, but did not carry out a massacre. I don't believe that Xu Changhai really dares to massacre the city."

"Furthermore, the walls of Chengdu are over ten zhang high, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. Although Longzhou Division and Tianquan Six Divisions have been defeated, there are still over 100,000 troops inside the city. In addition, troops have been mobilized from Jiading, Chongqing, Luzhou, and Xuzhou. As long as we can delay for a while and wait for reinforcements to arrive, even if we cannot stand on equal footing, we may be able to hold out until Prince Su ascends to that position."

"If that doesn't work, we can borrow troops from Yunnan and Guizhou. With the combined strength of the three regions and hundreds of thousands of troops, surely we can hold them off?"

Their biggest problem now is that Zhu Jinzhen has not yet ascended to the throne.

If Zhu Jinzhen succeeds in suppressing the rebellion and ascends to the throne, all the problems currently facing the Sichuan Three Offices and Chengdu Prefecture will be easily solved.

“Although His Highness Prince Su and Commander Tian Ce are merciful and have not gone on a killing spree, it does not mean that they dare not kill. How can you guarantee that if we do not open the city gates and anger Xu Changhai, they can still break through the city and leave as usual?” Chen Yu, the prefect of Chengdu, asked with a frown.

"I bet he won't."

(End of this chapter)